Curry leaves positive impression in Seattle debut

If rookie Aaron Curry is half as good on the field as he is in presenting himself publicly, the Seahawks just landed a heckuva football player.

Curry met with Seattle media for the first time in person Monday morning after flying in from New York and left little doubt as to why the Seahawks are wowed by what he’s bringing to the table.

Aaron Curry hung out at the NFL draft with 12-year-old Bryon Merriweather, a leukemia patient he brought to New York to share the weekend. (AP photo)

The affable linebacker talked proudly of being a momma’s boy as his mother, Chris Curry, sat in the front row of the auditorium at Renton’s Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

He explained why he stayed in school at Wake Forest for his senior year instead of making the money grab as a junior, saying he owed it to his family and his teammates to finish what he started and finish his degree in sociology.

He even explained, in dead seriousness, how his family upbringing led him to stick with No. 59 throughout his football career because it would be unseemly to make waves over something like changing a jersey number.

“You get a number and whether you’re happy with it or not, you make your name in that number. And you make that number what it is.”

Curry comes across as a young man with his feet firmly planted on the ground, not always easy for a fellow about to sign a contract in the neighborhood of $60 million for six years, including a $25 million guarantee.

He laughed about new Seahawk teammates already teasing him, yelling “nice suit!” as he walked through the facility and poking fun in their brief meetings.

“I know my place as a rookie,” he said.

After having his dream come true Saturday with his first-round selection, Curry didn’t head out into the Big Apple to party or celebrate his new fame and fortune.

Instead …

“The first thing I did was exhale,” he said with a chuckle. “Then I went back to my hotel and hung out with my family, because they’re the most important thing to me. I know without them, I wouldn’t be in this position.

“It was a feeling of relief that the entire process was over, but also realizing I’m just getting started. My journey is just beginning.”